Lydia Jardon - Norah Amsellem

The press is talking about it!

"Coming after a first recital of French melodies (see 0. I. no 296 p. 88 of December 2004) about which Thierry Guyenne already underlined "the vocal opulence and the dramatic commitment of the French soprano", this programme entirely devoted to Verdi represents for Norah Amsellem an even riskier challenge. Indeed, it takes a strong talent to navigate at ease in a repertoire that is always close to opera but which, under its pleasant and easy exterior, in fact conceals quite a few pitfalls. For each of these pages composed over the years, sometimes in response to a commission, often as an occasional tribute, it is necessary to find the right tone. Not to over-dramatise what should be barely suggested; to colour with subtlety what, in the continuity of an hour or more, risks quickly falling into monotony. This is a difficult art, even more difficult than taking on very well-known roles with the support of an orchestra. Let's face it, Norah Amsellem doesn't do so badly on such an obstacle course. She brings to these melodies an already established skill. This is particularly noticeable in the works that call for immediate picturesqueness, those whose tone is the most frank. Stomello, Lo spazzacomino and Brindisi are thus lively and spirited and are performed with the necessary panache. Accompanied with great care and accuracy by Lydia Jardon, the singer knows how to alternate emotion and brilliance, brief lyrical flights and suggestions of atmosphere. In a melody such as Perdute ho la pace, it is a whole art of nuances that she brings into play, while preserving the elegance that tempers this salon passion. A fine piece of work in the end. This well-composed recital, also very well-balanced in its technical approach, is already enough to justify Norah Amsellem's ambitions.

"Norah Amsellem is a young soprano who has delighted music lovers all over the world, singing in Europe as well as in Japan and the United States, where her performances at the San Francisco Opera and the Metropolitan in New York have earned her praise from the international press. She is accompanied by the pianist Lydia Jardon, with whom she has recorded a disc of Verdi's melodies. Lydia Jardon is the creator of a very original festival: Rencontres de musiciennes sur l'île d'Ouessant, known as "l'île aux femmes". She has also created a new women's record label: AR RÉ-SÉ (which means "those" in Breton...) which is publishing these Verdi songs recorded during the summer of 2004 in this collection.

"In addition to his operas, Verdi composed a relatively small number of songs. The first of these were brought together in a collection of six pieces in 1838, a year before the performance of Oberto, conte di San Bonifacio, his first opera. After a few separate pieces, another collection of six was published in 1845, a prolific year that saw the birth of Alzira and Giovanna d'Arco. Verdi subsequently published a few more songs, the last of which (Stornello) dates from 1869. The bulk of this marginal production therefore dates from the "galley years" when the young composer produced opera after opera and forged his own style by freeing himself from any previous influence. It is not surprising, therefore, that this research, but also these influences, are perceptible in these songs, which are neither salon romances nor German-style Lieder, but more often than not little dramatic scenes that could find their place in an opera, or character pieces that show how well Verdi knew how to portray a character or a dramatic situation. While many of these songs are found in recitals by opera singers, few recordings have been made of them. The most significant of these is Renata Scotto's complete works (Nuova Era). Norah Amsellem sings the two collections from 1838 and 1845, plus six separate songs. This young singer has already had quite a successful career as a lyric soprano (Gilda, Micaëla, Liu, Violetta, Countess of the Wedding)... Above all, she has a very beautiful timbre which in certain areas has a colour similar to that of Montserrat Caballé. The lower register is well established and the power sufficient to give a dramatic characterisation. In addition, the art of breathing is perfectly mastered as well as the art of colouring, which makes it possible to diversify the musical affects and give life to the phrase. However, the vibrato should be watched, which is a little too wide on certain notes. The treble, which is not used much in these pages, is not without its faults (the final counter-cut of L'esule), the risk of congestion from A onwards, and a certain lack of flexibility in the vocalization (La zingara). But these reservations only concern minor aspects of this recital, which is also very well served by Lydia Jardon's piano. Even if one suspects that Verdi's accompaniment is not the main thing, this performer, who has served Granados' Goyescas or Rachmaninov's Concerto No. 3 so well, makes the accompaniment supple, lively and dramatic.

"Much less recorded (since the complete Renata Scotto recording of '89 and the subsequent recording by Margaret Price) than the opera excerpts, Verdi's 25 or so Melodies can be disconcerting in their relative sobriety. It is true that the musician remains above all a dramatist who needs the stage to express himself fully. Nevertheless, this music, with its ever-present charm, is served here with good legibility even in the fast passages (Stornello), an inner intensity in Deh pietozo, a kind of quiet emotion in the evocation of Il tramonto, the ardent sensuality of La Zingara, or again in the harsh voice/piano oppositions in the painting of Il misero. The beauty of Norah Amsellem's tone, nuances and phrasing effectively serve the seductions of Verdi. Pages that are in turn intimate or sparkling with popular verve (Lo spazzacamino), which make excellent recital aids and which deserve to be discovered for themselves.